News

FOND DU LAC, Wis. Nov. 15, 2004 – Mercury Racing is pleased to introduce the all-new Bravo III XR drive. All of the Bravo One XR drive performance enhancements, once limited to racers and performance boaters,are now available for recreational sport cruisers. The heavy-duty XR components have been time tested in the world’s harshest environment – therace course.

The counter rotating, duel propeller drive features a new cone clutch and shift engagement strategy. SmartCraft electronic engine management makes shifting into and out of gear smooth as silk, making docking much easier with less chance of stalling. A sleek new shape and hot new graphics highlight the new Bravo III XR drive.

The Mercury Racing Integrated Transom System (ITS), available as an option, enhances drive height flexibility while making the transom more aesthetically pleasing and simplifying installation. The ITS features integral power steering cylinders. Trim and steering cylinders, multi-mounted to the heavy-duty gimbal ring, transfer stress loads back to transom, increasing strength and durability. A built-in, seven-inch setback improves boat running attitude in selected applications. Performance upgrades to the Bravo III XR drive includes a new rear drive cap with built-in, tie-bar attachment. The tie-bar attachment fixture, built into the new rear drive cap, eases installation of a tie-bar for multi-engine boats by eliminating the need to change drive caps. Multi-attaching points of the upper and rear drive caps enhance the strength and durability of the tie-bar attachment fixture as well.

The Mercury Racing Bravo III XR drive is available as an option with selected HP525 EFI engine packages and as an accessory.

Released: 11/15/2004-RM – Lake Mohave

For several years now, Lake Conroe’s supply of largemouth bass and crappie and its comeback as a major Texas fishery have been discussed by scientists of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and other biologists across the state. The Lake Conroe Restocking Association was implemented as a way to guarantee an abundant supply of game fish for the lake.

At a meeting held at Stow-A-Way Marina on May 7, 1995, Mark Webb of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department noted that the restocking program was successful in bringing back a dying population of crappie, but the restocking of largemouth bass had not been sufficient. Webb says the TPWD is “trying to put Lake Conroe back in as good a position as possible trying to maximize the fishery.”

To this end, the TPWD plans to assist the LCRA by stocking a total of 525,000 largemouth bass fingerlings in the lake in the Spring of ‘95 and again in the Spring of ‘96. In an effort to make the lake “a better open water fishery” and to give sportsmen another fishing target, the TPWD will also stock 210,000 hybrid striped bass in Lake Conroe. Crappie will also be monitored by the TPWD and the agency will advise the LCRA whenever more stockings are necessary.

Another problem that affects the fish populations on the lake was discussed at length. The problem, according to Webb, is the lack of aquatic vegetation in the lake. What Lake Conroe needs, he said, is “juvenile fish habitat on this lake.”

In the early 1980’s, landowners around the lake saw the over-abundance of Hydrilla in the lake as a hazard to recreational boaters and were able to convince the TPWD to put a supply of grass carp in the lake. The grass carp were chosen because they would eat the Hydrilla, but they also ate other native plant populations. This eliminated the chances of younger fish to hide from their predators and eliminated a major source of food for fish, subsequently reducing the numbers of all fish in the lake.

Webb feels the grass carp are dying or at least aging and not eating as much. He thinks now would be the time to re-establish native aquatic vegetation.

Also present at the meeting was Dr. Michael Smart of the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers’ Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility (LAERF). Dr. Smart is an aquatic plant biologist who has been studying aquatic vegetation for 20 years. He and his associates have been working on aquatic vegetation problems in other lakes throughout the country such as Lake Onondaga in New York, Lake Guntersville in Alabama and Lake Lewisville in north Texas. He agrees with Webb that the time is right to start re-vegetating Lake Conroe.

According to Webb, the TPWD will implement a program to re-establish aquatic vegetation in Lake Conroe with the technical advise of the scientists at LAERF. Funds for the program will be provided by the LCRA, who will also provide the manpower necessary for re-vegetation, and matching funds will be obtained by the TPWD from private and government sources.

Dr. Smart desires a diverse community of native plant species for re-vegetation in Lake Conroe. He hopes by establishing several non-problem native plants, he can reduce the incentive of fishermen to plant their own Hydrilla and starting the problem all over again. He recognizes the establishment of Hydrilla as a very real threat and warns the lake area of a need for a “Hydrilla early-detection system” whereby the plant can be found and quickly destroyed.

Hydrilla is an exotic plant that multiplies to a point where it can choke a lake, killing other native plants and whole fish populations. It also becomes a nuisance to boaters, water-skiers and swimmers. Developers despise it because it can make otherwise ideal lakefront property unappealing to potential buyers. Eventually, if allowed to grow unchecked, it can kill a lake.

The plant biologists of LAERF recommend a variety of non-problem plants to use in re-vegetation. These include wild celery, stargrass, the American lotus, muskgrass, American pondweed and cara.

A group that included Dr. Smart and Mark Webb were setting out to begin their plans for re-establishing the vegetation the following morning, starting with the north end. They were to look for desirable plant seed
and places to establish caged plots where the growth of the plants can be monitored. The entire process can take several years.

Dr. Robert Doyle is a research scientist from the University of North Texas who is conducting research at the Lewisville facility. He was on hand at the meeting and added, “nature herself could be relied upon to do the landscaping.”

Dr. Smart is confident that plants will grow in Lake Conroe. If the research group can get some test plots out this year, he says, they will know by the end of the year what will grow and what the next step will be.
Phil Durocher, the director of the TPWD Inland Fisheries Unit, was also at the meeting. He spoke in favor of the plan, noting that Lake Conroe was the first lake to use grass carp as a method of controlling the overgrowth of aquatic vegetation, so it should also be the first lake to take advantage of this habitat enhancement program. “This project is where we need to go.”

Now all Lake Conroe needs is the help of everyone who uses the lake to work together with the TPWD and these scientists. Someday soon, Lake Conroe can once again rank as one of the state’s best fisheries.
– Lake Mohave

On June 11th, Governor George W. Bush met with representatives of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), and several conservation groups at Lake Bastrop to address the issue of treatment of aquatic vegetation.

Dr. Larry McKinney, senior director of aquatic resources at TPW, explains the dilemma. “Our research and experience, and that of scientists throughout the southern states, clearly demonstrates the positive benefits to both fish populations and sportfishing when aquatic vegetation is present. The difficulty arises when vegetative surface coverage becomes excessive, particularly when the plant is a non-native species like Hydrilla. Access to fishing, boating, swimming and other water-related activities can become a real problem when one of these exotic species gets out of control.”
Aquatic vegetation like Hydrilla can be a nuisance to boaters, swimmers and fishermen if it is allowed to grow unchecked. Several measures have been taken in recent years to eliminate this problem on Texas lakes.

Chemical control was once thought to be the answer and herbicides are still used today. However, chemical treatment of the unwanted vegetation has led to death or illness in humans and wildlife and will no longer be tolerated by a growing number of Texas citizens.

Mechanical methods have been used in several Texas lakes, but the results have been less than desirable. Grass carp were used by TPW in Lake Conroe and the unwanted vegetation was destroyed, but the cost in fish habitat and water quality was very high. Steps are currently being taken on this lake to restore the fishing resources of this once famous bass-fishing lake in East Texas.

Another mechanical solution to the abundance of noxious aquatic vegetation was introduced recently and examined on that day in June. The Mechanical Vegetation Harvester (MVH) that was presented to the government officials was on loan from the Tennessee Valley Authority and received unanimous support.
This machine reportedly can cut one acre of Hydrilla per hour to a depth of five to six feet. It cuts the vegetation, squeezes the water from it, shreds it, then puts the shredded vegetation back in the water. The machines have a cutting width of up to 10 feet and weigh up to 14,000 lbs. The harvester does not hurt the fish population either, according to the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota, where the harvester has been used for years.

The harvesters have been around since about 1902, according to Pat McCarty of Texas Black Bass Unlimited. They were created from a need to knock down weeds so that clean ice could be cut from frozen lakes. These massive machines have evolved considerably in the last several decades. By efficiently cutting and removing Aquatic vegetation, harvesting offers an environmentally sound, cost effective and practical solution to the control of excessive plant growth.

Harvesters have been used extensively in the Great Lakes region and in the northeast, with some very positive results. Mr. B Rendan of Woodbridge, Virginia, is very happy with the harvester his community purchased. “Harvesting is selective for fish management – it leaves habitat available for fish.”
Mr. D. Heise of LaPorte, Tennessee, says, “The quality of fishing has improved [on City Lake since we started using the harvester], and the fishing areas are more accessible now.”

Mr. J. Wardlaw of Dewey Lake in Dewagiac, Michigan, has been using the Hydrilla Harvester for years. He comments, “We have bigger fish of all types now because of reduced cover.”

The Governor took the MVH on a test drive and he is reported to be pleased with his findings. Other Texas State officials were similarly impressed.

According to Robin Richardson, President of Health Awareness and Water Knowledge (HAWK), in a Board of Director’s meeting of the GBRA on June 17, approval of a Cooperative Aquatic Vegetation Management Contract between TPW, LCRA, GBRA, Friends of Lake McQueeney (FOLM), and the Sportsman Conservationists of Texas (SCOT) regarding a MVH was passed.

Richardson sees the MVH as the only viable means to rid Texas lakes of nuisance vegetation. – Lake Mohave

Capt. Kirk’s Marine is growing by leaps and bounds! Glenn Kirk has expanded operations to include the Stratos, Ski Centurion, Donzi and Reinell lines in addition to the Fisher line and Gambler line he had previously sold.

Stratos is a very good name in fishing boats. Kirk carries all sizes of this boat line from 15 feet, 10 inches to the 33-foot offshore fishing boat with the patented Stratos Deep Vee hull. The Deep Vee hull carries a five year warranty and is available on most of the Stratos line.

Ski Centurion is a tournament water-ski boat. It is designed for the competition water-skier who skis year-round. Five-time world slalom champion, Bob La Point, has assisted Ski Centurion in development of the new LaPoint Tru Trac. This tournament ski boat is available at Capt. Kirk’s Marine Service.

Kirk describes the Donzi line as “sports cars on the water. They are small, compact and REAL fast.” The Donzi also makes a luxurious 33-foot pleasure boat. But don’t let the elegance fool you; the Donzi 33ZX is all performance. With twin 502 MerCrusier power she’ll reach speeds up to 65 mph, with all the stability and tracking that Donzi’s are famous for.

Capt. Kirk’s line of Reinell boats include the family pleasure boats and the fishing boats. Reinell has been in the boat building business for over 70 years and carry with them a legend of unsurpassed craftsmanship. Reinell’s motto is “we’re in the water to stay.”

Kirk says, “we feel like we have a boat for everybody out there. If you like boats, come see us and we’ll put you into a boat that will fit your lifestyle and needs. We have the pontoon boat, aluminum bass boats, fiberglass bass boats, tournament bass boat, jon boat, jet boat, sport runabout boat, bow-rider, tournament ski boat, offshore fishing boat, offshore runabout boat, center console bay boat and cuddy cabin.”

Capt. Kirk has also made some staff changes. New to the staff are Randy L. Nichols, who joined the team in October of ‘94 as the Sales Manager, and Service Manager, Gary Bellman. Sally Grimes assists as the Office Manager, David Inman is the new fiberglass repairman and Paul Nordstrum and Mike Walker are new service technicians. Duane Blair still acts as Parts Manager and Troy Kirk, the Captain’s son, still assists Capt. Kirk as VP of Operations.

Expansion of the shop itself is another change that is currently underway. Kirk is planning to build a 4800 square foot showroom, five new sales offices, a 3200 square foot parts and accessories area, a 4000 square foot closed service shop area and a 6000 square foot open service bay area. The shop will basically expand to ten times its present size onto the three acres surrounding the shop. Kirk hopes to complete renovations by late spring of this year.

Kirk, who is still very involved in the tournament circuit, sponsors a pro staff team that welcomes Mike Metcalf, David Truax, Kirk McKenzie and Steve Cain as new members. Dick Clements and J.C. Evans are two members of the pro staff from last year.

Tournament fishing is going to play a big part in Kirk’s future. “In 1995, we see ourselves getting more expertise in the area of serving the needs of the tournament bass angler.” Capt. Kirk’ Marine Service is going to become more involved with the B.A.S.S. tournament circuit and through that they plan to learn how to best serve the tournament bass fisherman’s needs. “We have found that it is a constantly changing, hi-tech sport and we’ve found that it’s necessary to be out there on the front line so that we stay abreast of innovation.”

Captain Glenn Kirk, his wife, Donna, and son, Troy, along with the rest of the staff are working together to serve their customers with their boating needs.
– Lake Mohave

Club Exclusive offers the serious outdoorsman the hunting adventure of a lifetime. Located on Lake Guerrero just 165 miles south of the Texas border, this hunting lodge set in the unspoiled Mexican countryside offers terrific opportunities to catch trophy size bass and hunt plentiful whitewing dove, duck, geese, and quail.

Thanks to catch-&-release, the fishing that Lake Guerrero has to offer has proven excellent in the past and only promises more of the same for decades to come. Club Exclusive can even provide fully rigged bass boats with 48 HP outboards and trolling motors. Fishing licenses are issued at the lodge and if you insist on bringing your own boat, boat permits are issued here also.

Club Exclusive is the closest hunting facility to the Abasolo Whitewing Colony, the largest whitewing colony in the hemisphere. Mexico’s whitewing dove season runs from August 15 to October 30 this year. Morning Dove season begins on September 1 and runs through December 31.

Travel back in time to the days of NO POINT SYSTEM when hunting for duck in Mexico. Club Exclusive will even provide the decoys and duck blinds. Mexico’s duck season lasts from December 1 to February 28.
The converging flyways over Club Exclusive provide incredible goose hunting. Resident guides are specially trained in goose hunting. Goose decoys are supplied by the resort. Mexico’s goose hunting season is the same as duck season: December 1 – February 28.

Quail hunting is an untapped resource in Mexico. Club Exclusive offers 30,000 acres of leases for hunting quail and you’re welcome to bring your dogs. Kennels are available on the premises, but you are sure to bust plenty of coveys with or without dogs. Mexico’s quail hunting season spans from December 1 to February 28.

Transportation to the resort is provided from McAllen, Texas, but you can also fly directly to Club Exclusive’s sister lodge, Big Bass Lodge, which is located very close by and offers similar amenities. You can even drive all the way there on all-paved highways.

Club Exclusive Hunting Lodge provides combination hunting and fishing trips that include the use of their own shotguns. This will save you the expense of purchasing a Mexican gun permit for $350.00. Experienced guides, refreshment coolers, cleaning and packing of game and fish, hunting and fishing licenses, transportation to grain fields for bird hunting, and fully equipped 48 HP fishing boats are all included in the combo packages because Club Exclusive wants your trip to Mexico to be one you’ll repeat again and again. Gasoline is even available on-site and the lodge features a paved boat ramp.
For the traveling outdoorsman, RV campgrounds are available at the resort. Drive all paved highways right up to your lot.

Rooms at the lodge are modern with private baths and all are air conditioned. The rooms sleep two to four guests. Wake up with complimentary juice and coffee. The Palapa Bar offers card playing and a satellite TV. The open bar features nachos, margaritas, beer and soft drinks, and a game room with pool tables, darts, and Ping-Pong. The restaurant serves three meals a day and a swimming pool is available.
For a truly memorable hunting or fishing experience, Mexico is the place to do it and Club Exclusive or Big Bass Lodge can surely help make it the trip of a lifetime! – Lake Mohave

The training of dogs for hunting purposes requires a knowledgeable trainer with a firm hand AND a kind heart. Dogs are trained in Texas to retrieve birds, primarily duck and geese. Pheasants and quail are also birds of prey in Texas that dogs are very useful in hunting. Some even say it’s impossible to hunt quail without a dog because a bird dog is necessary to locate and flush the covey. It should be noted here that there are two distinct types of hunting dogs: the retriever that is used to retrieve the duck or goose that falls in the lake or marsh and the bird dog that is used to point to and flush quail. This article will focus on the training of retrievers.

I researched the training methods of several well-known trainers of retrievers. Although each had different ideas about small aspects of the training process, all share the same basic concepts about training a retriever to hunt.

The first question when training a retriever is, “What breed of retriever is best?” Richard A. Wolters, is the author of several books on hunting dogs and has developed techniques for training hunting dogs for the dog owner who wants to train his dogs himself. In Water Dog, he recommends potential dog owners to visit a field trial, where hunting conditions are simulated in a competition setting, and “watch the dogs work.” Each breed is different in certain aspects, he says, such as the dog’s coat. Potential breeders should pay attention to what breed is available with which to breed their *****es, he adds.

The big three breeds to look at, for retrieving, he says, are the Labrador retriever, the Golden retriever, with its long coat, and the Chesapeake Bay retrievers. “If you can find the flat coat, curly coat retriever or the Irish water spaniel,” he says, “don’t overlook them.”

Jeff Campbell owns and operates Katybrook Kennels Retriever Country in Hockley, Texas, located nine miles north of Katy. He specializes in training all types of retrievers for hunting in any bird season. Jeff will take a dog to train anytime after the dog is six months old. Prior to the dog turning six months old, the owner has a responsibility, Campbell says, to help develop retrieving instincts in the dog and let it become “a grand game.”

“A dog that has those instincts developed before the intensive training begins is much easier to train and becomes a better hunting dog,” according to Campbell.

Kerry V. Kern has written extensively on canine training and care. In his book, Labrador Retrievers, A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual, he recommends starting the puppy as early as eight weeks on some elementary retrieving exercises..

The training period for a retriever spans from four to six months at Katybrook Kennels, but Campbell also trains any breed of dog for obedience in a one-month course for which the dog is boarded for the month.

Jelly is Campbell’s Labrador retriever and she is extremely well trained. She is now 7 1/2 years old and has won two derbies, or field trials for dogs under two years, and has qualified all-age, which is a very high achievement for a competition hunting dog. Jelly’s father is a National Amateur Field Champion (NAFC) named NAFC Trumarcs Zip Code, or Cody for short. Her mother is Doc’s
Country Classic.

Jelly is a champion because she’s had good breeding and also because Campbell has shown her a firm hand AND a kind heart. He believes in not over-doing it with the reprimands. “In training retrievers,” he says, “ you must keep the dog’s spirit alive at all times. When making a correction, do not overwhelm the dog so that he has a hard time recovering.”

Campbell believes that the training should not end when the dog goes home. The dog’s return home should be the beginning of a new phase in the process. “The whole key to training is that when the dog goes home, the owner needs to follow up on the dog’s training and the dog will excel and the two will become a team.”

Most hunters have their dogs trained the summer before the bird hunting season begins. Some dogs receive refresher courses each summer. Texas summers can be brutal and Campbell warns owners to beware of heat stroke. He says, “have two large bags of ice on hand in coolers to cool down the dogs if they get too hot.” A dog’s normal temperature is between 100.5 to 102 degrees F (38-38.9 degrees C). When cooling off the dog with ice, Campbell says, be careful not to bring the temperature below normal because the dog may go into shock.

Arnold Boudreaux owns Schomer Kennels in Cut ’n Shoot, Texas, located northeast of Houston. He has been training dogs for over 30 years in Morgan City, Louisiana, and in Texas. He trains primarily retrievers and, in addition to basic obedience, he only trains dogs to hunt.

Boudreaux tries to train the dogs in water in the summertime. A well-trained dog, he says, should be trained on land and in water.

Boudreaux has some tips for the owners of hunting dogs: “I recommend that potential dog owners investigate the blood lines of the dogs before the purchase. Don’t just buy the dog because someone said it was a good dog. Go by what the mother and father are like to tell what your dog is going to be like.”

The 49th day of the puppy’s life is the day Boudreaux recommends taking the puppy from its litter. This, he says, is a theory developed over 30 years ago by the trainers of seeing-eye dogs, On this day, so the theory goes, the bond that has developed between the dog and its littermates can most easily be transferred to a human family, and not a day before or later.

On the other hand, Kern recommends that puppies wait until their eighth week to be separated from their littermates. He calls the first eight weeks of a puppy’s life “the canine socialization period” and he says that if a puppy is taken before the eighth week, “the puppy may not have fully learned the lessons of animal socialization.” The animal may grow to react aggressively to other dogs.

Labrador retrievers are excellent hunters and their owners are blessed with a breed that loves to learn. Dog hunting with a well-trained retriever is exciting and a reliable conservation tool. The dog can retrieve birds from places where most hunters can’t get to it or can’t find it and would otherwise leave behind.

It is vital that the owner also be a part of the training process. Each dog has its own idiosyncrasies that the trainer must identify and teach to the owner before the dog goes home. – Lake Mohave

The Emergency Medical Service Benefit Fund, Inc., held a benefit bass tournament at Lakeview Marina on May 7th, which proved to be a beautiful day, for the Alan Schlein family of Montgomery County.

Schlein was only 29 when he passed away, leaving behind a wife and young son. He served as a paramedic in Montgomery and Harris counties. He worked for the Montgomery County Hospital District EMS at the time of his death.

The EMS Benefit Fund, Inc., was organized shortly after Schlein’s untimely death “to raise funds to support EMS personnel in times of need or catastrophe,” according to Bobby McMinn, President of the organization. The corporation began with this benefit at Lakeview Marina and will continue with other benefits as they are needed.

The tournament was a success with 32 teams competing. All the funds raised were split in half, with half going to the Schlein family and half split among the winners, according to Stanley Mims, Secretary of the EMS Benefit Fund, Inc.

The entry fee per team was $60.00 with a $10.00 optional “Big Bass” entry fee. The “Big Bass” category had a 100% payback.

First place was taken by Joey Pizzini and Tom Dean with a total weight of 13.63 lbs. The first place team won 70% of the half of the earnings ear-marked for contestants, or $660.00.

In second place was Keith Yarbrough and Eric Chandler of Crosby with a single bass weighing 7.4 lbs. The second place team members shared $160.00 or 20% of the day’s winnings. Yarbrough, who actually caught the 7.4-lb. bass, was the big winner of the day because he also walked away with the optional “Big Bass” prize totaling $310.00.

Third place went to a couple that weighed in at 7.28 lbs. Third place won 10% of the winnings or $80.00.

Following the bass tournament, an auction was held at the marina. McMinn wishes to thank the cooperation of numerous businesses of Montgomery County in providing over $7000.00 of auction goods and services. Bar-B-Cue was also provided at the tournament by “numerous grocery stores,” says McMinn.

A total of $800.00 was received at the tournament for the Alan Schlein family.
– Lake Mohave

Family Boating Center has been doing business in the Houston area for about eight months. They opened their doors at the Humble location on January 2nd of this year and they’ve already captured a large share of the Houston boating market.

The boat dealer is the exclusive dealer of Tracker boats in the Houston area. Tracker boats are reputed to be the world’s #1 selling fishing boats. They offer a bass boat, the Bass Tracker, a pontoon, the Sun Tracker, and a high-performance bass boat called the Nitro. All of these boats Tracker Marine builds “to exceed your expectations,” and I know Family Boating Center will exceed your expectations, too. The boat dealer also sells Mercury outboard motors.

Clay Mills, the president of Family Boating Center, does not believe in high pressure, pushy salespeople. He wants to sells his customers only what they really want.

“We believe in letting the customer drive the boat before they buy it,” Mills says. “We’re so close to Lake Houston that we can let a customer drive a boat anytime they want to and they’re under no obligation to buy.”

Mills says other dealers are proud of their “demo weekends”, but Family Boating Center has a demo day every day.

Tracker Marine, located in Springfield, Missouri, sends their catalog of all their boats and boating accessories to thousands of customers each year, and James Julian, the sales manager of Family Boating Center, is proud to say all these same products are available at Family Boating Center for exactly the same prices. The boat prices are not marked up as you might expect.

Mills says they like to take the team approach to customer service at their store. Their goal is to have the customer’s purchase of a boat be only the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship. He likes to stress to customers that Family Boating Center will be there after the sale.

He backs this up with a top-notch service department that works on all Tracker products, whether purchased at his store or not. They also work on all American-made boat engines and keep Saturday hours.

Mills has been in and around the marine business for almost 20 years. Before opening Family Boating Center, he operated several Tracker Marine stores in other cities. Prior to this period, he worked with OMC in their Performance and Racing Division in Lake Hamilton, Florida.

All the experience and hard work of Mills and Julian and the eight other employees have paid off for Family Boating Center. The store was named 1994’s Top New Dealer for the U.S. at the recent Tracker convention. This is quite an honor and reflects the overall customer satisfaction of the store.

Family Boating Center and Tracker Marine are both proud sponsors of the pro-team of Brian Utecht and Curtis Thompson who each drive Nitro 190s. Utecht’s boat is a Nitro 190-DC and Thompson drives a Nitro 190-TF. Both boats are equipped with a Mercury 150 XR6 outboard motor and feature anti-feedback standard. The Nitro 190-TF boat, motor and trailer is available at Family Boating Center for only $16,995 and the 190-DC, with heavy-duty carpeting new for ‘94, for a paltry $17,295, plus freight and rigging.

Tracker introduces the all new 2000-TF in ‘94. This is the top of the line in Tracker high-performance bass boats and features the latest innovations, power options and fishing electronics. This boat offers “maximum performance for uncompromised fishability” and you can pick it up at Family Boating Center for only $18,295.

Family Boating Center is open at Highway 59 North and Beltway 8 from 9:00 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday, and by appointment anytime. In addition to the weekday hours, their service department is even open on Saturdays from 9:00 to 3:00.

Family Boating Center is there to assist you in the knowledgeable purchase of a boat and Clay Mills will not let you leave the store with anything less than what you want. Pay them a visit and experience why Tracker is the #1 fishing boat.
– Lake Mohave

The First Annual Friends of Conroe Golf Tournament was held on September 13 at Wedgewood Golf Course on Highway 105 W. According to Jo Ann Carter, Secretary of the Friends of Conroe, the purpose of the tournament was to provide funds to bring top-name bands to the Fourth Annual Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival to be held in October.

The tournament had 88 entries at $70.00 per entry. Trophies were awarded to first, second and third place team winners. A $50.00 cash prize was awarded to Don Carter for coming closest to hole #17. Mr. Carter donated the his prize back to the Friends plus $50.00 and it was auctioned. Mark Peters won the $50.00 cash prize for coming closest to hole #10 and he also won a $50.00cash prize for the longest drive on hole #18. Hal Griffin won the $50.00 cash prize for the longest hole on hole #18.

Fourteen door prizes were given away including two 24K gold putters donated by Smith Honda, six rounds of golf for four at area country clubs, stereo headphones donated by Home Entertainment, Inc., and a $50.00 gift certificate to the Wedgewood Pro Shop.

Drinks were provided to the players on the course by Silver Eagle and Coca-Cola. An excellent catfish dinner was served by Vernon’s Kuntry Katfish and prizes were awarded following dinner.

This was the first golf tournament of the Friends of Conroe and Jo Ann Carter was pleased with the turnout. “For our first tournament, it was better than wonderful. Our hope is that everyone had fun and is looking forward to next year.”

The Fourth Annual Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival will be held October 15, 16 and 17th in downtown Conroe. The goal of the festival is to provide funds for the beautification of Conroe and community projects, and ultimately to build a civic center here. The festival began in 1990 with this goal in mind, and according to Carter, “everyone said it couldn’t be done”. But that first festival had an attendance of 25,000. Last year’s attendance was 35,000 and this year-the sky’s the limit!

The golf tournament was successful in bringing in the necessary funds for the bands, so here is a line-up of scheduled bands for the three days:
Friday-Will LeBlanc and the Bayou Boys, Roddy Romero, Bert Wills and the Crying Shame, Miss Molly and the Whips and the Jim Ponder Band and Frenchy Burke.

Saturday-Lionel Stew, the Sam Brothers, Chubby Karrie, Zachary Richard, Global Village, Sisters Morales, Johnny Clyde Copeland, Jimmy Thackery, Rodney Lake, Shake Russell and John Saunders, Rio Bravo and Hickory.

Sunday-Bayou Roux, Joe Douglas, the KILT Band, Highway 101, the Fab Five and Hot Cakes.

Three days of continuous music on three stages is planned. In addition, according to Wayne Vaughan, Treasurer of the Friends of Conroe, there will be 18 food booths set up, each with different kinds of food for a total of 75 food items. Saturday at 10:00 A.M. a parade with floats will begin circling the downtown square. Sunday at 3:00 the Friends will holda dance contest. There will also be a carnival, hunting and fishing exhibits with a live catfish tank, arts and crafts exhibits and a circus village for children with clowns and a petting zoo.

The whole festival sounds like a whole lot of fun for everyone. Hope to see you there!
– Lake Mohave

The Guadalupe Basin River Authority (G.B.R.A.) manages the Guadalupe Basin, which flows from the heart of the Texas Hill Country to Lavaca Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. It supplies water to all of the local water suppliers like the Spring Hill Water Plant, which gets its water directly from Lake Placid, a lake formed by the Guadalupe River. The G.B.R.A. endorses random chemical treatment of hydrilla and other nuisance aquatic plants in the river and does not guarantee its water quality. This leaves the local providers the responsibility of ensuring the quality of the water they provide to the public for drinking.

Robin Richardson is the director of the Spring Hill Water Board in Seguin. She is also a conservationist, President of Health Awareness and Water Knowledge (H.A.W.K.) and founder of Better Aquatics In Texas (B.A.I.T.).

According to Ms. Richardson, the Spring Hill Water Treatment plant and the Canyon Regional Water Authority are not equipped to get all the aquatic pesticides out of the water in their water treatment process. She feels the G.B.R.A. should be responsible for providing quality water resources for drinking and recreation.

On June 1st, Richardson went swimming near her home on Lake Placid and saw where the G.B.R.A. had chemically treated aquatic vegetation in the lake – less than 20 feet from where her community gets its drinking water!

“I feel like the coyotes are guarding the chicken house and this has got to stop. I want the G.B.R.A. to warrant their actions if they’re going to endorse aquatic pesticides, and that means bringing the community into the decision-making process of how our raw drinking water should be managed,” says Richardson.

The most popular pesticide used in Texas lakes seems to be Sonar, which is strongly suspected in the onset of cancer-related diseases among people using reservoirs in which Sonar has been applied. Restrictions on the amount of the pesticide to be used in a specific area have not been clearly established among users. A permitting process would make clear the dosage for a particular size reservoir, which would alleviate part of the problem.

No governing body is responsible for the treatment of drinking water, she says, and she suggests the establishment of a permitting process for the treatment of aquatic vegetation. “This would be the key to protecting our drinking water.”

According to Pat McCarty, who was in attendance at the recent meeting in Athens of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, H.A.W.K., the Lower Colorado River Authority (L.C.R.A.) and several other state water-governing bodies, Larry McKinney of the TP&WD discussed setting up a committee to study whether permitting should be required for the introduction of pesticides into Texas lakes. “Results from this committee could strongly affect legislation.”

Richardson blames the G.B.R.A. for killing the submersed vegetation in Lake McQueeney. The Friends of Lake McQueeney, a local conservation group, and the G.B.R.A. both have come out in favor of Gov. Bush’s proposed hydrilla harvesters as a non-chemical weapon against unwanted aquatic vegetation, but Richardson says, “it’s just lip service.”

Richardson is a strong proponent of the mechanical hydrilla harvester. She was present at the recent meeting of Gov. Bush, the TP&WD, the G.B.R.A., the L.C.R.A., and others on Lake Bastrop where the mechanical hydrilla harvester was taken for a test drive. “I was in the boat with Ray Scott, Terry Oldham, Harold Sharp, a local fishing talent and true conservationist, and David Stewart. As we were watching the harvester operate, back behind the harvester and rising up was a bald eagle – I had never seen one! Around the bend, he dove for a fish And when he flew off, I thought to myself, ‘he could not have read nor understood the chemical restrictions had the lake been treated, making that fish too contaminated for consumption.’”
– Lake Mohave

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team is one of the best group of divers in the state. It is a unique organization made up of 32 members, all of whom have full-time jobs which they leave when a crisis develops. The head of the Dive Team, or the Team Dive Master, is Sergeant Robert Schuster. Schuster has led the team for the last nine years.

The Dive Team is strictly a volunteer group and all the members supply their own diving equipment and pay their own expenses. They are not county employees. They are also all from this area and were trained to dive on Lake Conroe.

“It’s important that the divers are experienced with Lake Conroe because it’s such a dark, murky lake,” says Schuster. “If you’re used to diving in the Caribbean, you won’t be able to dive Lake Conroe. We have to crawl along the bottom and feel out in front in the silt and mud for what we’re looking for in a body of water that has eight to ten inches visibility.”

When Schuster took on the job of Team Dive Master, there was no team. He was the only diver for three years until gradually he started taking on friends and neighbors who could dive Lake Conroe and had other jobs but could still be on call. Now, Schuster has five certified police officers, four paramedics and even six women as part of his team. Joy Ogden, the Directory of Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services, is one of Schuster’s divers.

The Montgomery County Dive Team has been called by every surrounding county to assist in drowning accidents or to look for evidence thrown into a body of water, such as guns, knives, stolen property, cars and boats. The Dive Team has even been called by Harris County, which has its own dive team, because of the skill of the Montgomery County Dive Team in finding what it’s looking for.

The Dive Team has pulled 17 bodies out of Lake Conroe, all of which were drowning victims. According to Schuster, when the Dive Team gets to the scene of a drowning accident, there is little hope that the victim will be found alive. “The body is brain dead in four to five minutes.”

When asked about the gruesome aspects of the job, Schuster replies “it’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it. What really gets you is when the victim is a child.” In addition to dealing with the limited visibility, you need a strong stomach to do this job. Schuster adds “it’s the same thing you have to deal with as an Emergency Medical Technician”.

In the winter of ’91, an inmate of the Texas Department of Corrections escaped from prison and shot a store clerk and a female customer in San Jacinto County. He then threw the gun in the Trinity River and flew to Florida where he was apprehended. Schuster was called to find the gun and his team got to work. They found the gun in the murky waters of the Trinity River in three hours.

On the day after Christmas in 1990, the Dive Team was called to Patton Village, on the east side of Montgomery County, to find seven empty safes in a private lake. The safes were needed by the City of Mont Belvieu and Montgomery County to make a case against the convenience store robbers who drove into the stores and dragged the safes out. All seven safes were recovered from the snake- and alligator-infested lake.

When Schuster is not diving for Montgomery County or any other county, he repairs ambulances at his specialty shop. It is the only ambulance repair shop in the state and he gets ambulances from Mont Belvieu, Cypress Creek, Montgomery County, Trinity County, Harris County Emergency Corps, and from as far away as Hall County near Amarillo. He gives up many an evening or weekend to repair the these trucks because, he says, when someone needs a truck repaired, it’s only a matter of time before there is a crisis.

Two of Schuster’s employees at the shop are also divers and Schuster says that these two divers are two that he can usually count on to dive when he gets the call because they are almost always available.

Schuster, who is a deputy sheriff, patrols the waters of Lake Conroe much like the Marine Division (see “The Boat Police”) in hopes of preventing a drowning. If you should spot him in a county boat on the lake, say a little prayer. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it. – Lake Mohave

Well, if you’re looking for some help to answer this question, I have two words for you: BILL CANNAN.

Bill Cannan has been a guide on Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston for over four years. He hails from Conroe and now resides on the north end of Lake Livingston. He drives a Nitro 2000 and, in addition to being this area’s #1 fishing guide, he has proven a worthy competitor in several national tournament circuits.

Last year he fished the Southern Bass and Angler’s Choice Super Team circuits and did quite well. This year, he entered the Central Invitational BASS Tournament Division and recently fished the Arkansas Invitational on Nov. 2-4. He will be fishing the next BASS tournament in February. Cannan is looking forward to the coming year when he’ll be fishing two other trails, Redman and Angler’s Choice Pro-Am. Cannan hopes to qualify for the BassMasters’s Top 100 through the BASS Central Division and he feels very good about his chances.

Cannan’s sponsors include the Family Boating Center, Tracker Marine, Nitro Boats, Fenwick and Mainstream Marketing, which includes Stanley, Top Brass, Sure Life, Bass Assassin and Bandit. He welcomes new sponsorship, both inside and outside the fishing industry.

Cannan is also a proficient hunter. He likes to hunt deer and duck. He has proven to be skilled at sal*****er fishing, too.

I asked Bill what he thought was the most important quality for a fisherman, and he replied, “I think staying in good physical condition is important for tournament fishermen. Being in good physical condition keeps your mind sharp and helps with your mental concentration. It also helps you endure adverse weather conditions, especially the heat.”

Cannan graduated from Sam Houston State University in May of this year with a degree in Agriculture Business. While he was in college, however, he was still guiding full-time. Now that he has completed his studies, he does have more time to fish.

Cannan knows where the fish are. For example, he says the white bass move upstream to spawn in the feeder creeks between January and April. If you have a small aluminum boat or a canoe and can make it up the creek, you’re in for some great fishing.

Between September and December (right now), he likes to take customers to the north end creeks of the lake for the best black bass fishing, he says.

But enough trade secrets. Cannan is available for guide trips on Lake Conroe, Lake Livingston and Lake Raven, which is located at Huntsville State Park, and he’s always got a good story. – Lake Mohave

Eisenhower State Park lies on the southernmost tip of Lake Texoma near Denison. The park was named for the former President of the United States who hailed from Denison. The park offers excellent boating, fishing and camping opportunities.

Lake Texoma ranks the third largest reservoir in the state of Texas with a total area of 100,000 square acres. The lake is so large that even the state of Texas can’t hold it all and must share some of its shoreline with the state of Oklahoma. Only one-third of the famous lake is within the Texas boundaries.

Facilities for boating at the park include two boat ramps, boat parking and a full service marina. Sailing and water skiing are popular activities on the lake.

The fishing on Lake Texoma is excellent. This lake is known for its BIG stripers and BIG catfish. It is also a popular bass fishing lake. Four fishing piers (one lighted) and a fish cleaning shelter with water and electricity can be found at the park. A fish cleaning table with water available is located at one of the boat ramps.

Campsites at the park can accommodate up to eight people and are furnished with a picnic table, a fire ring and a BBQ grill. Restrooms are available nearby, most with hot showers. Campsites range from primitive (with water only) to back-in sites with water and electricity to pull-through sites with water, electricity and sewage connections for RVs. Shelters are also available.

Other activities include swimming in a protected cove of the lake, where swimmers can find a sandy beach, and hiking along a total of 8.2 miles of trails through the beautiful rolling hills of North Texas.

Nature Adventures is a program the park conducts for youth aged 9 through 12. Topics explored between July 10-13 will be the world of insects, the Native American culture, the world of bats and fish identification.

Fishermen can fill their bait and tackle needs near the park at Dave’s Ski & Tackle, located two miles south of Denison Dam. Dave Parkey also has boat storage, archery supplies and groceries. Call Dave at (903) 465-6110.

Pappy’s Bait & Grocery is also located near the park. Lee Marriott serves home cooking at the deli and caters mostly to boat fishermen. Lee can be reached at (903) 465-6769.

The Tackle Box on FM 120 in Pottsboro comes highly recommended for all types of fishing tackle. Steve and Susan also do rod and reel repair and can help you with gas, shad tanks, electronics and propane. Call (903) 786-9010.

Fishermen may want to hire a fishing guide for this lake. The fishing on Lake Texoma is unlike any other lake in the country. Charlie Coder is a striper guide in Denison and can be reached at (903) 463-5035. Another guide in Denison is Dave Beeson of Diamond Dave’s Guide Service. Call (903) 465-5518 for Dave. D.R. “Don” Swink is a striper guide on the south end of Lake Texoma. He has a 28-foot Pontoon and can take up to 8 people. He can be reached at (214) 465-8678 or by the handle “Donald Duck” on CB Channel 13.

The park is located five miles northwest of Denison. Take Highway 75A to FM 1310 and travel 1.8 miles to Park Road 20.
– Lake Mohave

Hydrilla is an exotic plant that multiplies to a point where it can choke a lake, killing other native plants and whole fish populations. It also becomes a nuisance to boaters, water-skiers and swimmers. Developers despise it because it can make otherwise ideal lakefront property unappealing to potential buyers. Eventually, if allowed to grow unchecked, it can kill a lake.

Different measures have been taken to rid Texas lakes of this predator. Shortly after its impoundment, Lake Conroe was invaded by Hydrilla. The aggressive plant restricted boating activities when allowed to grow without restraint. It also reduced water quality and prevented the development of desirable native plant communities. In an effort to provide relief from the overabundance of Hydrilla, Texas A & M University conducted a research project that included the stocking of 270,000 plant-eating grass carp. The Texas Parks &Wildlife Department all too often seeks to solve this problem with total eradication of the nuisance plant with the use of grass carp, which eat the problem plant AND all the vegetation in the lake, or chemical methods, which have proven to cause MUCH more harm than good (causing birth defects, liver disease, cancerous tumors, etc.).

So what’s to be done? Grass carp have been described as “the least acceptable method of non-chemical control,” but there are other methods of non-chemical control, one of which is the use of a Hydrilla Harvester.

The Hydrilla Harvester
Recently, Governor George Bush, an angler of some repute, intervened to postpone the application of chemicals to kill Hydrilla in Lake Bastrop. Bush arranged for the Lower Colorado River Authority to borrow a Hydrilla Harvester from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Ray Scott, founder of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, told the Texas B.A.S.S. Federation, “It’s a state-of-the-art machine and costs $150,000-but the TVA will loan it to us for the cost of transportation and the operator.”

Mark Rose general manager of the LCRA, is anxiously awaiting the test on Lake Bastrop, scheduled for June 10-11. If the harvester proves inefficient, Rose says he will have to use the herbicide Sonar to rid Lake Bastrop of the unwanted Hydrilla. Sonar is a pesticide that has received very negative attention when used on other lakes. It has been linked to birth defects, cancerous brain tumors, and various other ailments, in addition to massive fish kills.

This machine reportedly can cut one acre of Hydrilla per hour to a depth of five to six feet. It cuts the vegetation, squeezes the water from it, shreds it, then puts the shredded vegetation back in the water. The harvester does not hurt the fish population either, according to the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota, where the harvester has been used for years.

The demonstration at Lake Bastrop is not scheduled until June 10 – 11, but Texas officials are already sold on the idea. Dr. Larry McKinney, the Senior Director for Aquatic Resources at the TP&WD, is already considering purchasing a harvester for testing as a partial control of noxious aquatic vegetation. He and Phil Durocher, the Director of TP&WD’s Inland Fisheries Division, plan to discuss purchase of the machine with the Guadalupe-Blanco and Lower Colorado River Authorities. Several Texas Conservation societies have pledged to help in the purchase also.

The harvesters have been around since about 1902, according to Pat McCarty of Texas Black Bass Unlimited. They were created from a need to knock down weeds so that clean ice could be cut from frozen lakes. These massive machines have evolved considerably in the last several decades. By efficiently cutting and removing Aquatic vegetation, harvesting offers an environmentally sound, cost effective and practical solution to the control of excessive plant growth.

Harvesters have been used extensively in the Great Lakes
region and in the northeast, with some very positive results. Mr. B Rendan of Woodbridge, Virginia, is very happy with the harvester his community purchased. “Harvesting is selective for fish management – it leaves habitat available for fish.”

Mr. D. Heise of LaPorte, Tennessee, says, “The quality of fishing has improved [on City Lake since we started using the harvester], and the fishing areas are more accessible now.”

Mr. J. Wardlaw of Dewey Lake in Dewagiac, Michigan, has been using the Hydrilla Harvester for years. He comments, “We have bigger fish of all types now because of reduced cover.”

These harvesters are presently sold by an organization called D & D Products, Inc., located in Wisconsin. John R. Dauffenbach, founder of D & D, began developing equipment to battle water quality problems in the 1950’s. D & D is the oldest manufacturer of aquatic plant harvesters in the world and boasts a customer list that includes the whole of the United States and 40 countries worldwide. A full range of sizes are available to suit every application. The machines have a cutting width of up to 10 feet and weigh up to 14,000 lbs.

The harvester that Dr. McKinney proposes to buy will be somewhat smaller than the machine borrowed from Tennessee for Lake Bastrop. “If we make a purchase, says McKinney, “we’ll need one that can handle bumping into stumps and … other situations….It’s likely the TP&WD will use some of its current vegetation crews as operators.”

Despite the support already in motion for the purchase, McKinney still wants to show some caution. “I want to try a harvester for a year or so at a few smaller state park lakes, and the river authorities can use it where they want. I want to try cutting some ‘lanes’ through grassy areas and study the results.”
McKinney plans to study the effects of the harvester for a year or two.
– Lake Mohave

Mike Hood has built quite a reputation in Houston as the man to see about a boat propeller. He is well known to both sal*****er and freshwater fishermen and boaters.

Mike has been repairing boat propellers for 30 years. He opened Mike Hood’s Marine Propeller Service, located in Houston near Hobby Airport, in 1971. Here he can service the sal*****er boaters from the Galveston area and the freshwater boaters from Lakes Clear Lake, Fayette County, Conroe and Livingston. In fact, through boat shows and word-of-mouth advertising he has attracted customers from all around the country.

In the late 1970’s, Mike tried to bring his famous boat service a little bit closer to the North Houston/Conroe area by opening a second shop in Spring. The timing couldn’t have been worse, he says, and the energy crisis and the general recession that followed forced him to close his doors. “People didn’t have time or the money to enjoy themselves then. It was a hard time for all of us.”

Nineteen-eighty found the Hoods, Mike, his wife Pat and their son, Michael, living on Lake Conroe. They lived near Highway 830 for 14 years until last year when they moved to the Hobby Airport area. All three would brave the Houston traffic every day to go to work at their Telephone Road store.

Mike and his staff of 12 mechanics, salespeople and service technicians provide complete propeller repair, sales and service. They sell and service outboard, inboard and outdrive props in aluminum, bronze and stainless steel. They are a factory authorized dealer and repair station for Volvo, Mercury Marine and OMC Corporation boat propellers. They also sell and service Alumacraft, Tracker and OMC Corporation’s Starcraft and Monarch boats under factory authorization.

The shop also does aluminum welding and repair of aluminum boats and lower units. They straighten shafts on inboard and outboard motors, rudders and struts.

Mike is a distributor of Michigan Wheel, Power Tech and Sierra engine parts. He formed his own distributing company three years ago called Marine Parts Unlimited. Sales Manager John Yager was very instrumental in directing the creation of this company. His wife, Pat, is the President of this company, which is located at the recently purchased property next door. This distributorship does wholesale business only.

Mike helped create the National Marine Propellers Association two years ago. This association was formed to try to improve the quality of boat propeller repair by providing repair certification. A boater in need of prop repair should always look for this certification before dealing with a prop repairperson. Mike currently serves on the Board of Directors of this group.

Mike is also President of the Boating Trades Association of Metropolitan Houston. This group was formed in 1950 and puts on three boat shows in the Houston area each year: the Summer Boat Show held at the George R. Brown Convention Center, the Watergate Boat Show held in Galveston Bay and the January Boat Show held at the Astrohall/Astroarena, which is by far the largest. Representatives of the BTAMH can be found in Austin lobbying for boating issues.

Ken Lovell, the Executive Director of this organization, describes the group: “Our goal is to promote the boating industry in the Houston area. We’re always concerned with safe boating issues along with legislative and regulatory issues that affect our industry.”
I met Mike and Pat at Houston’s January Boat Show. They both were very busy and full of information. I think the show will prove to be a great success for them. According to Pat, “Boat shows are our best form of advertisement.”

Looking back on ‘94, Mike says it was a very good year. “In 1994, I really saw the economy take a turn for the better. And, unfortunately, it has been so bad for so long.”
As for 1995, Mike foresees a great year. “People are happier this year and want to start enjoying their lives. I can see only good things happening for the boating and fishing industries, and our shop in particular.”
– Lake Mohave

Mexico’s newest fishing lake is now open and reporting catches of 100 to 300 bass per day, bass ranging from two to eight pounds.

Located in the Mexican state of Sinaloa east of the city of Los Mochis and one a half hours drive east of El Fuerte, Lake Huites is a deep and fairly clear mountain lake spanning approximately 18 to 20 miles in length. The lake was formed by the conjunction of the Chinipas and Fuertes Rivers.

The lake was stocked with a fast-growing and aggressive strain of Florida hybrid black bass three years ago. The lake was protected to allow the 80,000 bass fingerlings to attain adult size.

Ron Speed, Jr., opened Lake Huites in March and will be managing it as a catch-and-release bass lake. He closed the lake in May for the rainy season and will reopen in October.

This is the “Mystery Lake” of Mexico you’ve been hearing about. Several of Speed’s clients have caught lunkers over eight pounds. He believes eight pounders will be a common catch in 1998 and ten pounders likely in 1999.

“The most important thing that has happened at Huites, and this is a first for the entire country of Mexico, is that commercial netting has been prohibited on the lake,” says Speed. “This is the first pure sport fishing lake in Mexico….They have seen what fishing tourism can do for them and they want to keep it.”

A fishing lodge is under construction for anglers in the village of Techobampo on the shores of Lake Huites. When it opens in the fall, it will accommodate 12 anglers and by 1998 it will be enlarged to house 24 persons. In addition to the best bass fishing on the planet, the area has to offer spectacular bird hunting and Copper Canyon expeditions.

Lake Huites covers about 15 thousand acres and is loaded with brush and cover. Rock shelves and visible brush in abundance hold the bait fish and provide hiding spots for bass.

Set deep in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, the lake is surrounded by beautiful steep canyons and the view of the Sierra Madres topping over 7,000 feet in elevation is breathtaking. The steep canyons open into quiet bays and coves that offer anglers a variety of fishing options.

Temperatures in this area are tolerable in the fall, winter, and spring, but the summers bring the rainy season. Speed closed for the summer this year and he may close in early May next year to avoid the rains.
Johnny Cotton, a Dallas-area angler, made three trips to Huites between March and May and has already booked two more for the fall. He queries, “What bass fisherman would not enjoy catching and releasing more than a hundred fish a day, most of them weighing three to five pounds?”

The nearby town of El Fuerte is only 90 kilometers from the international airport in Los Mochis. Villa Del Pescador is located in El Fuerte and offers accommodations for 12. This lodge has a fine reputation for providing guests with the best in bass fishing, bird hunting, and Copper Canyon tours. Copper Canyon is one of the more spectacular wonders Mexico has to offer and is located very near the lodge.

Villa Del Pescador offers good food in a relaxed atmosphere. Quaint cobblestone streets provide numerous photo opportunities such as the gardens of the town square, a 100-year old cathedral, and warm smiles of residents of El Fuerte.

This is the part of Mexico you’ve got to see. Book your reservations early for fall!

www.bassadventures.com – Lake Mohave

Kidfish events have had a great impact on urban youth in our state since it began holding its events in July of 1994. The program is designed to give all children the opportunity to participate in the sport of fishing. It is of vital importance to the program’s sponsors to gain a renewed interest in the outdoors among today’s youth.

Jody Jackson of Austin is the director of Kidfish, which has been in operation less than a year. It is a program sponsored by the Share-A-Lunker Foundation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Kidfish is a children’s fishing program open to children 16 and younger. Participants are asked to collect sponsorships from friends, relatives and neighbors to win a variety of awards and prizes.

To date, eight Kidfish events have been held in Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, San Marcos, Pearland, Lampasas, College Station and Corpus Christi. Since October 1994, Kidfish has stocked about 16,500 legal, catchable-size catfish and rainbow trout, says Jackson. Over 7,000 people have attended Kidfish events since its beginning, including 4,000 children. It is estimated that 30% of those children had never fished before and caught their first fish at the Kidfish event. Some of these kids are exposed to fishing only through Kidfish.

The Corpus Christi event, held on Jan. 28, drew a crowd of 2,500, including 1,000 children who attended the Kidfish seminar during the event.

Twenty-five Kidfish events will be held in the Houston area of Texas during a six week period from April 1 through May 15, 1995. The Chevy First Team Dealers are underwriting the events with a contribution of $130,000.

The weekend of April 1 and 2 will see Kidfish events at seven sites in Houston and surrounding counties. Kidfish will be held at one site on April 8 in the Galveston/Texas City area, three sites on April 15 in the Freeport/Bay City area and four sites on April 23 and 24 in the area west of Houston near Rosenberg and Sealy. Sunday, April 30, the events will move to the area northeast of Houston near Livingston and Cleveland where there are four sites. Moving a little further west to Huntsville and Conroe, the events will be held at two sites on Saturday, May 6, and two sites on Sunday, May 7, in the Brenham/Hempstead area. Saturday, May 13, Kidfish will hold events at two sites near Bellville and the Kidfish Classic is tentatively cheduled to be held June 3 at Sheldon Pond in east Houston.

Twenty thousand catfish ranging from one to seven pounds will be stocked in area ponds for these events. All the equipment needed, including rods, reels, bait and tackle, will be supplied by the sponsors and volunteers will be on hand to help the kids and their parents fish.

Over one million registration forms will be distributed for the events.

Five children from each of the 25 events will be invited to attend the Chevy First Team – Kidfish Classic on June 10. The five will include the top fund-raiser, the child who catches the largest fish and three specially drawn children from each event. At the Classic, the child who catches the largest fish will receive a $1000 savings bond and that child’s school will
receive $5000 worth of computer equipment courtesy of the Chevy First Team Dealers. All the parents of the Kidfish Classic participants will be invited to enter a drawing for a one-year lease of a Chevy truck.

Every participant of the events will receive a T-shirt and a participation ribbon. Additional prizes will be awarded to the top five fund-raisers and to the child who catches the largest fish by length. Contestants who raise $15 or more will receive a Kidfish bass trophy.

A three station 15-minute Kidfish educational course will be held at each event.

Net income from all Kidfish events will benefit the Community Fishing Program of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The goal of Kidfish is to reach more than 1 million Texas children with Kidfish information and introduce 30,000 new youngsters to the outdoors and the sport of fishing. Kidfish is designed to introduce youngsters to the outdoors and the sport of fishing while raising funds for a variety of programs, including youth outdoor education, conservation, stocking and community fishing, Jackson says. The long-range goal is to one day establish a community fishing program and Kidfish event in every interested Texas city.

One sponsor of Kidfish is the Share-A-Lunker Program. This Program is a subsidiary of the Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas and its purpose is to raise funds for the projects of the Foundation. Phil Durocher is the director of the TPWD inland fisheries unit and director of the Share-A-Lunker Program. “For the last ten years or so,” he says, “we have become increasingly concerned with where our constituency is coming from.” He told me of the growing apathy among the younger generations for the outdoors and cites as a reason for this lack of concern the growing cities and urban lifestyles of the state. “Some of these kids have no idea how it feels to reel in a fish.”

Kidfish has been designed to build an appeal for the outdoors among children who don’t have the opportunity to fish. It is a program that has really caught on in urban areas and, hopefully, will help build a love for the Great Outdoors among today’s youth. Durocher says, “if we want to build a new generation of anglers and conservationists, we’re going to have to go them. That’s what Kidfish is about….”

Durocher adds, “it is exciting because most of the effort is being funded by private sources. In these times of tight state budgets, it’s critical that these types of partnerships be formed. This is about people helping themselves, their communities and their state build a bright future for the outdoors.”

Volunteers are needed for all the Kidfish events. Contact Jody Jeackson with questions or for more information at: (512) 918-9497, or for information about the Houston events, contact your local Chevy dealer.

Another way you can help is to sponsor a young angler in these or any other Kidfish events. Let’s help fishing in Texas be as popular in generations to come as it is today!
– Lake Mohave

A multi-talented guy like Pat McCarty is the kind of guy you ‘d be lucky to meet in your lifetime. A tournament angler for 20 to 25 years, Pat is also one of the best fishing guides East Texas has to offer and the publisher of the best fishing and boating publication the state of Texas has to offer. Today, Pat is bringing Texas bass fishing to the World Wide Web in his resolve to keep up with the changing media.

The Texas Sportsguide has grown from a local publication to a statewide circulation of 20,000 in the five short years McCarty has owned it. In 1995, with the growing popularity of the Internet, the Texas Sportsguide began publication on the World Wide Web and expanded to worldwide circulation.

McCarty began his illustrious fishing career when he became involved with B.A.S.S. tournaments held on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Lake Livingston 25 years ago. He fished B.A.S.S. for five years and then dropped out of tournament fishing to pursue a successful career in construction in Houston. But the passion to fish brought him back to fishing local tournaments on Lake Conroe where he lives with his wife, Paulette, and daughter, Kelly, in Shadow Bay where he can fish off his back porch in Weir’s Creek every day.

The fishing bug had such a hold on McCarty that he pursued Angler’s Choice Team Circuit titles in the neighboring states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. “I love tournament fishing for the satisfaction I get from competing against other top tournament bass anglers,” he says. “In the Angler’s Choice Pro-Am Division, I get to compete against top national touring pros like David Wharton, Harold Allen, Lyndell Martin and Tommy Martin.” McCarty is a tough competitor, too. He had four top 10 finishes this year in the Angler’s Choice tournaments and was a 12th place qualifier for the Super Team Classic.

McCarty is sponsored by Boots Follmar Marine, Astro Boats, Mercury Motors, Quantum Tackle, Motorguide Trollmotors, Castaway Rods and Lowrance Electronics.

He has been a licensed guide on the East Texas lakes of Lake Conroe, Lake Livingston, Gibbons Creek, Lake Richland-Chambers and Lake Sam Rayburn for 11 years. He is most interested in guiding for black bass, but he also will guide for white bass, crappie and occasionally catfish. He owns Weir’s Creek Guide Service where he advertises “Tournament Tune-ups”. Indeed, thanks to his work as a tournament angler, he is able to read the lakes quite well. McCarty drives a ‘96 Astro Stealth 20DC with a 200HP fuel-injected Mercury outboard and Lowrance electronics.

When McCarty is not guiding or tournament fishing, he publishes the Texas Sportsguide which now has a circulation of over 20,000 in its print version and is, as of this year, on the Internet, giving it a worldwide circulation. The print version of The Texas Sportsguide is distributed to all of the lake areas it covers, which includes Lake Conroe, Lake Livingston, Lake Richland-Chambers, Lake Sam Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Falcon Lake, Gibbons Creek and the Gulf Coast. It is also distributed to individual subscribers throughout the United States.

The Texas Sportsguide is the best publication to have along on a fishing trip, to help plan a fishing trip or to keep informed of environmental issues such
as aquatic vegetation or boating legislation. Some of the best names in East Texas fishing, such as Bill Cannan, Jim Binns and Captain Bill Pustejovsky contribute fishing stories and tips to the magazine monthly. McCarty himself is a professional photographer and the publication is renowned for its excellent photos.

It’s also a great place to advertise your boating accessories, restaurants, hotels or real estate, because East Texas anglers use all of the above.

The Internet version of the Texas Sportsguide also contains the well-written stories of the print version. You can find it on the web at www.texs.com . The advertising that this Internet magazine provides is first-rate, thanks to ImageBuilders Advertising, Inc., another business owned by Pat McCarty, a skilled computer grapjhics artist. (I told you he was multi-talented, didn’t I?)

McCarty became interested in on-line services in the construction industry where he regularly used them as research tools. From that beginning and from authoring his own software programs for his own accounting and estimating and from working with CAD software, he began to develop an interest in personal computers. This and his years of experience in desktop publishing led to his career in publishing the Texas Sportsguide. Today, he not only publishes the Texas Sportsguide in its print and on-line editions, but he designs and lays out advertising for print and on-line media through ImageBuilders Advertising, Inc. The URL of Image Builders on the net is www.ibweb.com .

McCarty also does charity work for an organization he believes in, Texas Black Bass Unlimited. TBBU is a freshwater fishing organization dedicated to the freshwater fisheries of Texas and the anglers who fish them. McCarty assisted TBBU in their last two fund-raisers. In 1993, TBBU raised funds for the Channel-Marking Project on Lake Livingston and in 1994, they raised funds for the Habitat Restoration Project of Houston area lakes. In 1996, TBBU plans to hold another fund-raiser for their Habitat Restoration Project, this time concentrating their efforts on Lake Livingston. For copies of the commemorative programs of the two galas or for membership or other TBBU information, please contact Leonard Ranne at 7880 Carr St. in Dallas, Texas 75227.

McCarty’s plans for the future include continuing his tournament fishing and guiding pursuits and expanding coverage of the Texas Sportsguide print edition in 1996. He plans to further develop the Texas Sportsguide on-line edition to include content from other states and countries around the world. He will continue his advertising endeavors with ImageBuilders Advertising in print, multi-media and on-line advertising.
– Lake Mohave

I hit the snooze button a couple of times before I finally realized that it was actually my alarm clock telling me to get up this morning. My small camper on the back of my truck sleeps well when I am on the tournament trail, equipped with a heater and an electric blanket it is quite cozy so long as I am plugged in at a campground somewhere. I managed to make my way outside and began to adjust to the sudden temperature change, from a nice and warm 70 or so to the cold outside air that was 35 degrees. This was my first day of pre-practice for the Mississippi BassMaster Invitational on Ross Barnett Reservoir.

I was here about 13 months ago for the same tournament last season. The lake was muddy then and it is muddy now. The lake has an enormous amount of bass and proves to be an excellent fishery year in and year out even with heavy fishing pressure. We have just hit it again when the Pearl River is really flowing bringing in run-off and turning the lake off color. There is still some good areas to fish but all the tournament fishermen will be piled on top of each other fishing what clean water is available. These conditions usually make a lake fish small during big tournaments.

When I put my boat in this morning the water temperature was 46 degrees, water temperature of 50 or less should always remind you to be extra patient and fish extra slow, especially when the water is muddy.
I pulled out two rods, one with a 3/8 Stanley Platinum Wedge Spinnerbait (chartreuse) and one with a 7/16 Stanley Jig. I added a pork chunk to the jig and up the river I went. I started looking at pockets off of the river, protected water from the current and also the fresh muddy water the river was bringing down.

The water was cold everywhere, mostly 46 and 47 degrees. I did find some clear water way back in some of the pockets but that also put me back in the woods where there was so many trees that the sun would hardly be able to penetrate to warm the water. I fished the back pockets until around noon and then decided that I could come back to these areas during the official practice just before the tournament.

I went down the river a few miles until it opened up to the lake. I then checked the back of some of the bays where the sun could really pound if it were to ever come out from the overcast skies. I ran flat weeded banks for a couple of hours before I finally caught one on my spinnerbait, the fish was very light in color and weighed about two and a half pounds. Considering the conditions catching one fish in an area could mean there is a whole bunch of fish there. I didn’t catch anymore fish in that bay but I will certainly look at that spot when I come back.

Before I finished out the day I caught two more on the spinnerbait to bring my bass tally to three. Not much for nine and a half hours on the water but believe me it could have been worse. I talked to three competitors on the ramp who all said that they never got a bite all day. Fishing is very tough and if east Mississippi does not get some warm weather before we come back in two weeks it will be a very tough tournament.

Mother Nature always has something to dish out and this particular week it is cold weather and rain. For a very shallow lake like Ross Barnett that is a tough combination. But as usual one of us will figure out how to catch them better than anyone else and will walk away with forty thousand bucks, hopefully me!

The tournament is February 12th, 13th, and 14th. You can check the results daily on the internet by entering BASSMASTER into a search.

Bill Cannan Professional Fishing Guide – Lake Mohave

As you well know if you have read anything about Lake Conroe this year is that the crappie fishing is premier. I think that it is safe to say that Lake Conroe is one of the best crappie lakes in the state this year. Many of us Lake Conroe fishermen have spent a lot of time fishing for the papermouths. We have all got our little tricks of the trade honed up for this crappie fishing. There is definitely plenty of ways to load the boat full of crappie and who is to say which way is best. Some of the crappie fulltimers will tell you crappie jigs under the 1097, minnows sunk around timber, or a minnow-jig combination in the creek channels. All of these methods will work. I have spent my fair share of time on the water “crappie guiding” and come up with a rig that works wonders for catching crappie.

The crappie rig that is used on my boat takes several principles and applies them to crappie fishing. Anytime that you are fishing around the bottom, brush, or standing timber the rig you use must be somewhat weedless. If not you will spend all of your time hung up and retying. When fishing off-colored water a noise making devise within a rig will help attract fish. Taking this into mind a crappie rig that is weedless and makes noise most certainly is the way to go.

This rig requires a one ought crappie hook, two 10mm Top Brass glass beads, and a Top Brass 3/8 oz brass weight. To rig it up slide the line through the eye of the hook. Next slide the line through the brass weight, then through both glass beads. Tie the line to the second glass bead. So now you have line through the

hook, weight, glass bead, and the line tied to the second glass bead. Now take the hook and slide it up the line away from the weight and glass beads about a foot. Pull the hook to the side so that it doubles the line. Take the doubled line and tie a knot in it about three inches from the hook. Make this a double knot. Now take the hook and pull it away from the knot. Make another knot between the eye of the hook and the double knot.

To fish the rig drop it down to the bottom or the desired depth. If the hook becomes hung up don’t pull tight on the line simply lower your rod tip and let the weight fall, it will dislodge the hook. The brass and glass when engaged makes a clicking sound that attracts fish. When fishing the rig simply jig it occasionally or shake the rig. Many times your strike will occur immediately after the brass and glass have engaged. The brass and glass clicking resembles a crawfish kicking its tail for propulsion.

This will be a good month to fish this rig since the water is off color due to the flooding. Be on the look out for floating debris or floating logs caused by the floods. Good luck fishing.

Bill Cannan Professional Fishing Guide – Lake Mohave